In 2017 Martin Crowley, Tom Crowley, and Dan Smith came together for another end-of-year Matching Challenge—and this time it was bigger than ever before! They matched donations of up to a total of $2,000,000 to ten highly impactful charities. Fedor Holz added another $250,000 on top. This means that for every dollar that was donated, they donated a dollar to the same charity as well. In the end they reached their goal of $2,250,000! Thanks to all the generous contributors this challenge resulted in $4,500,000 of donations to highly impactful charities which will really make a positive difference in the world.

Aside from whether you believe humans are morally obligated to help others, even if you are concerned about your own self interests, there are strong reasons to donate. Studies show that donating to charity can increase happiness.

Malaria killed more than 400,000 people in 2015. Using an insecticide-treated bednet at night, when mosquitoes are most active, is one of the most effective ways a family can protect themselves from malaria. The Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) facilitates the distribution of these bednets in regions where malaria is prevalent. The large-scale distributions are monitored closely to guarantee that the nets reach their destination and are used correctly. Relying on strong evidence that insecticide-treated bed nets reduce child mortality and malaria cases is one of the key reasons AMF is GiveWell’s top pick for saving lives.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease carried by freshwater snails infected with one of the five varieties of the parasitic flatworm Schistosoma. It infects an estimated 258 million people and is considered a Neglected Tropical Disease. The Schistosomiasis Control Initiative works with governments in sub-Saharan Africa to create or scale up programs that treat schistosomiasis. This is commonly referred to as "deworming". GiveWell recommends them as a top giving opportunity.

Give Directly provides low-income households in developing countries with unconditional cash transfers. They use mobile payment providers to make sure the funds reach the intended target. Recipients usually spend the money on assets and consumption and do not increase their spending on non-essential or harmful goods such as alcohol. Give Directly is currently piloting an unconditional basic income (UBI) programme. GiveWell recommends them as a top charity.

Hellen Keller International (HKI) coordinates with governments and private organizations in Africa and Asia to fight vitamin A deficiency, which affects an estimated 250 million pre-school children and is a leading cause of childhood blindness and immunodeficiency. At an estimated cost of only $0.75 per vitamin A supplement delivered, and reaching 45 million African children under the age of five, GiveWell considers HKI's supplementation program to be among one of the most effective interventions against malnutrition and blindness.

The Good Food Institute is working to transform the animal agriculture industry by promoting the development of competitive alternatives to animal-based meat, dairy, and eggs. They connect scientists, investors, and entrepreneurs to advance this growing market sector and provide advice for plant-based and cellular companies. Animal Charity Evaluators recommends them as a top giving opportunity.

This fund supports organizations that work on improving the wellbeing of nonhuman animals, especially farmed animals. It pools the resources of many donors and gives out grants. It focuses mainly on newer but still promising organizations with less evidence to support them or organizations with smaller funding gaps because these have a harder time finding donors. The fund manager is Lewis Bollard who is also the Program Officer responsible for farm animal welfare at the Open Philanthropy Project.

The Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI) conducts research to ensure smarter-than-human artificial intelligence will have a positive impact. As more and more human cognitive feats come to be reproduced by artificially intelligent systems, we can expect to encounter a number of unprecedented risks and benefits. These under-explored questions will only become more pressing as progress in computer science allows AI systems to act with increasing autonomy and efficiency. MIRI was recently awarded a 3-year grant by the Open Philanthropy Project.

This fund supports organizations that work on improving the long-run future of our civilization. It pools the resources of many donors and gives out grants. It focuses mainly on newer but still promising organizations with less evidence to support them or organizations with smaller funding gaps because these have a harder time finding donors. The fund manager is Nick Beckstead who is also a Program Officer at the Open Philanthropy Project.

Bail Funds post bail for misdemeanor defendants who cannot otherwise afford to return home while awaiting trial. If forced to stay in pre-trial detention, they are often coerced into guilty pleas and/or subjected to collateral consequences such as job loss or eviction. Bail funds usually have very slow attrition rates because the vast majority of clients attend all scheduled court dates. As a result bail funds save a lot of people from criminal records and jail time for little money. The Brooklyn Community Bail Fund only posts bail that is $2,000 or less. It has received grants from the Open Philanthropy Project.

Bail Funds post bail for misdemeanor defendants who cannot otherwise afford to return home while awaiting trial. If forced to stay in pre-trial detention, they are often coerced into guilty pleas and/or subjected to collateral consequences such as job loss or eviction. Bail funds usually have very slow attrition rates because the vast majority of clients attend all scheduled court dates. As a result bail funds save a lot of people from criminal records and jail time for little money. The Massachusetts Bail Fund only posts bail that is $500 or less.

Just City Memphis operates the Memphis Community Bail Fund among other things. Bail Funds post bail for misdemeanor defendants who cannot otherwise afford to return home while awaiting trial. If forced to stay in pre-trial detention, they are often coerced into guilty pleas and/or subjected to collateral consequences such as job loss or eviction. Bail funds usually have very slow attrition rates because the vast majority of clients attend all scheduled court dates. As a result bail funds save a lot of people from criminal records and jail time for little money. The Memphis Community Bail Fund only posts bail that is $5,000 or less.

All donations are processed by our partner organisation, the Effective Altruism Foundation (EAF). You can find answers to frequently asked questions about donations as well as a point of contact in EAF’s FAQ.

We do not take fees. If you choose to donate to a specific charity, 100% of your donation will be earmarked to be granted to the charity of your choice. However, some payment processors charge a small fee which is deducted from your donation and thus does not reach the recipient charity. Learn more here.

Donations are tax deductible for donors in the USA (via bank transfer), the United Kingdom (via bank transfer), Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.